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Candidate Viewpoint of the Day: March 26, 2019

Welcome to our “Candidate Viewpoint of the Day” series, showcasing the Fond du Lac City Council Candidates and their viewpoints on important issues in our community. Each day through April 1, we’ll feature a different question along with the candidate’s responses. All six City Council candidates have been invited to participate. For more information on the candidate and their viewpoints, please click on their name to visit their social media site.

Question 2: How does sustainability fit into your approach to leading the community, and what sustainability-related issues should we be tackling as a community?

Alicia Hans: Sustainability, which incorporates economic development and environmental protection, is the foundation of a healthy, thriving community. When making decisions, the Council must identify short-term and long-term goals, along with potential short-term and long-term consequences from all possible angles to ensure maximum functionality and sustainability. The city must also be careful to evaluate return on investment and only proceed with investments that are appropriate and sustainable in FDL, as well as environmentally responsible. Additionally, improving our recycling program, increasing opportunities to purchase locally grown foods, and supporting businesses who value environmental responsibility are a few ways our community can promote sustainability.

Brian Kolstad: As sustainable technologies improve and become less expensive, it only makes financial sense to take advantage of the long term cost savings. The City is in the process of updating the lighting in our buildings, parking lots, and streets with LEDs which will pay for themselves with reduced energy usage. I voted to bring the PACE program to Fond du Lac which makes it easier for businesses to borrow funds to pay for clean energy and efficiency projects. When the desire for sustainability conflicts with our budget, we can and should work with community groups to achieve our common goals.

Derek TerBeest: Sustainability is an ideal that should be a part of our discussion on purchasing and building decisions. We need to make sure that city staff recognizes that energy saving and sustainable design is an important priority in their future projects. Sustainability is more than energy saving, it extends into the usable life of the things we build and purchase as well. Buying fuel efficient vehicles can save us on our fuel costs, but building a facility that will meet our needs for 40 years instead of 30 years goes a long way towards our sustainable goals as well.